Vehicle body panels have been mounted to a vehicle in many ways. Body panels are typically fastened to the vehicle frame or to one another via fasteners or by welding. When body panels are welded together, a weld seam extends along the line of connection between the body panels. Typically, if this weld seam is provided along an exterior, exposed surface, the weld seam must be polished down flush with the body panels in order to provide a smooth, aesthetically pleasing body finish. Typically, the polishing process used for smoothing out the weld seam is both time consuming and expensive whether done by manual laborers or by computerized machinery. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method by which the weld seam between body panels is not required to be polished down to a smooth surface, thereby avoiding the time and expense associated with such a polishing process.
A vehicle body is generally made up of numerous body panels which are attached to the vehicle frame and/or to one another. Typically, a vehicle body includes a pair of front quarter panels, a pair of door surround panels, a pair of rear quarter panels, a roof panel, door panels (including a rear door or tailgate, if applicable), and a hood for the engine compartment and trunk (if applicable). Each of these panels is required to be connected to the vehicle frame and/or to one another. Slight variations in the dimensions of each of these panels which may occur during manufacturing, may result in reduced dimensional control for the door and window opening and may reduce the quality of the fit and finish of the vehicle body. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body design which provides excellent dimensional control for the door and window opening and thereby ensures good door and window sealing.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a passenger vehicle is provided with a vehicle body including a roof panel and a body side panel. The roof panel and the body side panel are attached to one another along an attachment seam. The roof panel and body side panel combine to form a recessed channel. An elongated trim member is received within said channel, overlying at least a portion of the attachment seam between the roof panel and the body side panel. According to this aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for eliminating the requirement of polishing a weld seam between the roof panel and the body side panel of a vehicle.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a passenger vehicle is provided with a vehicle body including a roof panel and a pair of body side panels. The body side panels extend from a windshield of the vehicle to a rear of the vehicle body including a door surround portion integrally formed as a unitary member with a rear quarter portion of the vehicle body. The pair of body side panels are attached to the roof panel on opposite sides thereof. A portion of a seam between the roof panel and the body side panels is covered by a pair of elongated trim members. The pair of elongated trim members include a guide channel for mounting a roof rack bracket. The side edges of a portion of the roof panel and the upper edges of a portion of the body side panels define a recessed channel for receipt of the elongated trim member such that the upper surface of the elongated trim members is generally flush with the roof panel and adjacent body side panel. Another portion of the connection seam between the roof panel and the side panels is covered by the window frame of at least one of the side doors of the vehicle.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.